Given the recent bad weather, it is worth thinking about your plans should the weather worsen again over the coming weeks. Heavier snow can affect the travel plans of colleagues, getting either to or from work particularly where transport infrastructure can be disrupted, and schools closed. In these circumstances it is really important that colleagues make every reasonable safe effort to do so across both clinical and non clinical services to ensure delivery of our services.

Please consider and plan in advance how you would get to work if your normal travel arrangements are disrupted or what alternative childcare plans you can put in place if schools are closed.  

Please familiarise yourself with the Adverse Weather Policy, which details what to do if colleagues have problems reporting for duty. Our Adverse Weather Plan is a more detailed response plan covering all aspects operationally. Both are available to view on the Policies and Documents Library.

Below are some key points to consider and be aware of:

• If you are unable to attend work at your normal base, consider whether you could travel to an alternative base and if so discuss this with your line manager.  This applies to clinical and non-clinical colleagues.
• If you are unable to get to any CHFT bases you may be able to work from home if you are able to undertake the entirety of your role from home. This must be agreed with your line manager and you are encouraged to have these conversations in advance to agree whether working from home may be an option for you in adverse weather. 
• If you are having difficulties attending work on time due to inclement weather, you must contact your line manager to keep them informed of the situation and your expectations of arrival as soon as possible. If you are late to work as a direct result of adverse weather, you will still be paid for the hours not worked due to lateness.  
• If after making every effort you cannot get into work, you can make a request to take annual leave, flexi / TOIL (if flexi / TOIL is an existing arrangement within your team / role), you can work the time back or can take it as unpaid leave as per the usual approach during inclement weather. Any time owing can be worked back, subject to the requirements of the service and by agreement with your line manager. More details on reporting to work / reporting absence due to adverse weather can be found in the Adverse Weather Policy.
• Wherever possible, you are expected to work your normal hours to ensure service delivery is maintained but in some circumstances, it may be appropriate for some colleagues to be allowed to leave early. Leaving early must be in agreement with your line manager and can be taken as annual leave, time owing or unpaid leave, and must be agreed with your line manager prior to leaving. 
• If colleagues have worked additional hours as a consequence of inclement weather (by agreement with their manager), and to maintain the service, this should be compensated through time off in lieu or payment where additional hours / overtime rates apply.  All payments will be in accordance with your terms and conditions of service. 
• Emergency domestic leave or carer leave can be requested should you have an immediate crisis because planned caring arrangements have broken down. The intention of managers granting emergency domestic or carers leave is to assist with dealing with an immediate crisis (not one that is expected to last longer than one day) and to allow the employee to make alternative arrangements. The terms within the Special Leave Policy would apply.
• If you are due to be on call, please make sure you are able to get to the hospital within a reasonable timeframe if required to do so. Those undertaking Strategic On Call need to be able to attend to site as per the on call conduct set out in the Command and Control Framework. This may have to be on foot given the weather issues, so please contact the relevant manager if you anticipate any delays so any risks to service can be considered.
• It may be possible in extreme weather circumstances for overnight accommodation to be arranged if getting into work is likely to be problematic. Any need for overnight accommodation would be arranged through the Clinical Site Team. 
• The request for support from voluntary 4x4 services will be co-ordinated by the Clinical Site Team only. 

Many thanks for your efforts in these situations to keep our services running for our patients.